Pilenai
Encyclopedia
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is well known in the Lithuanian history
History of Lithuania
The history of Lithuania dates back to at least 1009, the first recorded written use of the term. Lithuanians, a branch of the Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring lands, establishing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the 13th century the short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy...
due to the heroic defense of the castle.
Defence
The defence, led by the Duke MargirisMargiris
Margiris was a Duke of Samogitia, a medieval Lithuanian prince, mentioned in the chronicle of Wigand of Marburg as the heroic defender of the Pilėnai in Samogitia in 1336...
, took place on February 25, 1336, when the castle was besieged by the army of the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
. When the inhabitants of Pilėnai and the surrounding area realized that it was impossible to defend themselves any longer against the much larger enemy force, they made the decision to commit mass suicide
Mass suicide
- Examples :Mass suicide sometimes occurs in religious or cultic settings. Defeated groups may resort to mass suicide rather than being captured. Suicide pacts are a form of mass suicide unconnected to cults or war that are sometimes planned or carried out by small groups of frustrated people...
, as well as to set the castle on fire in order to destroy all of their possessions, and anything of value to the enemy. They did this in preference to being subjugated and enslaved by the Teutonic Order, and so that their enemies' conquest would be a pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
. At first, the inhabitants burned their possessions, set the castle ablaze, and then the men, women, and children took their own lives. Chronicles mention that there were 4,000 men defending the castle.
Location
Zenonas Ivinskis
Zenonas Ivinskis was a noted Lithuanian historian.-Education:...
identified the location with the Pypliai hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
where the Nevėžis River
Nevežis River
Nevėžis River is the sixth longest river in Lithuania and one of the main tributaries of the Neman River. Its length is , and it flows only within the geographical confines of Lithuania. It is the second longest river in Lithuania, after the Šventoji River, that flows exclusively within its borders...
flows into the Nemunas
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
River. Alvydas Nikžentaitis
Alvydas Nikžentaitis
Alvydas Nikžentaitis is a Lithuanian historian, senior research fellow of the Lithuanian Institute of History and president of Lithuanian National Historians Committee.-Biography:...
thought it was on the Molavėnai
Molavenai
Molavėnai is a small village in the Raseiniai district municipality, Lithuania.Two hillforts are located in the vicinity of the village. Two nature monuments are protected by the state – an old oak tree near one of the hillfots and a stone called Mokas....
-Graužai hill fort located in the Nemakščiai elderate, in the Raseiniai district. Gintautas Zabiela suggested the nearby Ižiniškiai hill fort.
The residents of Punia
Punia (town)
Punia is a historic village in the Alytus district municipality, Lithuania. Situated on the right bank of the Neman River, it has a population of about 800. It was an important early city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania....
are positive that their Margiris hill is the site of Pilėnai. The German historian, Johannes Voigt
Johannes Voigt
Johannes Voigt was a German historian who was born in Bettenhausen, which today is situated in the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. He studied history, theology and philology at the University of Jena, where two of his instructors were Heinrich Luden and Johann Jakob Griesbach...
, claimed that the Bilionys hill fort in the Šilalė district is where the event took place. There are many other suggestions and hypotheses. The question remains unsolved.
Cultural significance
The heroic defence of the castle was described by Władysław Syrokomla in his poem Margier. An operaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Pilėnai was written about this event, by the musical composer Vytautas Klova
Vytautas Klova
Vytautas Klova was a Lithuanian composer and educator. His best-known work is opera Pilėnai, based on the historical events in Pilėnai...
, and the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was written by Jonas Mackonis. The opera was premiered in 1956, and is often performed in Lithuania. In 2001 the performances took place at the Trakai Island Castle
Trakai Island Castle
Trakai Island Castle is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania on an island in Lake Galvė. The castle is sometimes referred to as "Little Marienburg". The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son...
. The Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago
Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago
The Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago was founded by Lithuanian emigrants in 1956, and presents operas in Lithuanian. It celebrated fifty years of existence in 2006, and operates as a not-for-profit organization...
, performed the work in 2006, in honour of its 50th Year Anniversary, in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.